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Brooklyn DA Thompson Sets Up Hate Crimes Unit

DA's Move Follows a 30% Increase in Such Offenses This Year; Prosecution Is 'Notoriously Difficult'

By

Yoni Bashan

Updated Sept. 29, 2014 10:08 p.m. ET

Brooklyn District Attorney Kenneth Thompson has created a unit dedicated to investigating hate crimes, coinciding with a steep rise in reports of racially and religiously motivated attacks across the borough.

While Kings County has historically been known as an ethnic melting pot, Brooklyn in recent years has consistently led the other boroughs...